Things You'll Need
Tongs
Knife
Toothpick
Meat thermometer
How to Tell When Ribs Are Done. Cooking ribs is easy, but the trick is to make sure they don't get overdone underneath all that sauce. It can at times be hard to tell. But you can tell when your ribs are cooked to perfection if you know what to look for.
Step 1
Grab the ribs in the center of the rack with your tongs and bounce them off the grill. If the meat begins to crack and fall off the bone, the meat is ready.
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Step 2
Twist your barbecue ribs. Grab a bone near the center of the rack with your tongs and twist it. If the meat starts to separate from the bone, then your ribs are done.
Step 3
Cut into a rib near the center of the rack. The meat should be white and you shouldn't see any pink juices running from the cut.
Step 4
Poke the ribs with a toothpick near the center of the rack. If the toothpick moves through the meat without resistance, then it is time to serve them.
Step 5
Stick the ribs with a meat thermometer. When it comes to cooking great barbecue, the catch phrase is "low and slow." This means you want your heat low, so the ribs cook slowly. Stick the ribs with a thermometer, but don't to the end touch the bone. The ribs should reach an internal temperature of 180 degrees. Keep the ribs cooking at this temperature for at least 30 minutes. The ideal temperature of the oven or grill to achieve this over a few hours is 225 degrees. Refer to your rib recipe for the proper cooking time based on the size of your ribs.
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